Oak Hill Farm

Specializing in Everything Sheep & Goats

Whether you’re looking for sheep meat or breeding stock, Oak Hill Farm of Covington, Georgia, offers what you or your farm needs backed by more than three decades of trusted service. Become familiar with our two main commodities, the Gulf Coast Native Sheep and the Tennessee Fainting Goat.

Gulf Coast Native Sheep

The oldest known breed in North America, Gulf Coast Native Sheep is indigenous to the southern Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas. They are considered an ‘unimproved’ scrub breed. This breed is sometimes referred to as the piney-woods sheep, southern, or Spanish scrub. Today, there are few flocks left in Georgia.

Our Sheep: Origins, Size, & Wool Type

The bloodlines of our flock originate in Georgia starting around the late 1800s. These sheep are small to medium in size with the ewes weighing around 80-100 pounds when fully grown. They contain little to no wool on their face, legs or belly. Our rams sport beautiful horns. Half of the ewes have horns as well.

The wool is medium in handle and does not contain any kemp. Each sheep produces 1-3 pounds of wool. It is light on the lanolin, therefore there is little weight loss when washed.

Farm Procedures

Our practices fall under the category of traditional pasture management. We allow multiple rams to run with the ewes so breeding is non-selective. We do select the ram-lamb replacements for strong and open horns, twinning, and beautiful wool.

Gulf Coast Native (GCN) sheep are a hardy breed that are uniquely suited to the hot, humid southeast. To ensure that we do not compromise the hardiness of the flock, we are careful not to interfere with the natural process. All lambs are pasture-born and raised. Because GCN have rather short tails, there is no need to dock them. In addition, we do not crossbreed with ‘improved’ sheep breeds.

We maintain biosecurity on the farm. All our breeding sheep remain on the farm their entire life. Therefore, the flock does not suffer from any common sheep diseases: CL, OPP, or foot rot.

Parasite Control

There are claims that this breed is ‘parasite resistant’. That may have been true in the 1800s when two to three sheep were kept per many acre and most were allowed to range many hundreds of acres. Today, however, we have not found this to be true in the specific, confined environment of our Covington farm. That’s why we use pasture rotation in combination with deworming, helping the sheep to thrive.

The Unique Tennessee Fainting Goat

We call the Tennessee Fainting Goats unique for two reasons, because they are indigenous to the United States and because they startle easily, stiffening up and tipping over.

Our herd tends to be smaller in size as we breed for spots and long hair. The reason is because we prefer long hair on goats.

Oak Hill Farm

Phone:
(470) 722-0669

Hours of Operation:
Available 24 Hours a Day, Seven Days a Week

Service Area:
Shearing in Georgia, North Florida, East Alabama, South Tennessee, & Western North & South Carolina